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Goryokaku, also known as the Hakodate Star Fort, is a star-shaped citadel located in Hakodate, Hokkaido, Japan, renowned for its unique design and historical significance.
It is Japan's first Western-style fortress, designed in 1855 by Takeda Ayasaburō, a Rangaku scholar who studied European fortifications, particularly those influenced by French military engineer Vauban.
The fortress was constructed between 1857 and 1866 under the orders of the Tokugawa shogunate to protect against northern threats, particularly from the Russian Navy, and to control the Tsugaru Strait between Hokkaido and Honshu.
Goryokaku played a pivotal role in the Boshin War (1868–1869), serving as the final stronghold of the Tokugawa shogunate's forces after their retreat to Hakodate. It became the headquarters of the short-lived Republic of Ezo, led by Admiral Enomoto Takeaki, before surrendering to imperial forces in 1869, marking the end of the samurai era and the beginning of the Meiji Restoration.
After its military significance ended, the site was converted into a public park in the 1910s, with over 1,600 cherry trees planted along its moats, transforming it into one of Hokkaido's premier cherry blossom viewing spots, typically blooming from late April to early May.
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